Sacred Shrines ^ and their Devotees. 151 
the hands. This system, as we before mentioned, requires 
no sacrifices — expects no shedding of blood. 
A stranger, on approaching a Shinto temple, or sacred 
shrine, would be at first somewhat startled to see a curious 
kind of archway spanning the entrance to the sacred en- 
closure. This is the torrii^ or sacred emblem, and in some 
specially renowned shrines, there are avenues of approach 
to the shrine itself, composed of hundreds of these torrii^ 
or arches. The name itself means bird^s-nest,^ because 
the sacred fowls, or birds offered to the gods, are accus- 
tomed to perch upon them. These fowls, be it remem- 
bered, are not killed, but offered in a living state, and 
cherished, and cared for by the temple servants. The 
torrii consists of two pieces of metal, — or large upright 
posts, fixed in the earth opposite each other. Across, from 
post to post, is laid a beam, with ends curving upward, 
and immediately under this curved crosspiece, is carried, 
also from post to post, another smaller beam, upon which 
is painted the name of the temple. As red is the sacred 
colour of Shinto, the archway is generally painted this 
colour, so that it forms a prominent feature in the land- 
scape. The height of the arch is about fifteen, or sixteen 
feet ; and during the persecution of the Roman Catholics, 
it was required of the converts made by them, that they 
should pass reverently under the torrii^ if they would save 
their lives. This passing under the temple-entrance was 
considered equivalent to a recantation. The temples them- 
selves are generally of wood, and have thatched roofs. In 
the interior, at the farther end, may be seen the circular 
mirror, of brightly polished steel, the trays of offerings, and 
the strips of white paper, called gohei, hanging from wands 
of wood, which are supposed to be the prayers of the 
people. Another Shinto emblem is a rope of straw, which 
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